KIEV:  Ukraine has rejected Russia's offer to allow a safe path for residents to leave from Mariupol in exchange for Kiev surrendering the vital port city, which has been one of the most hit since the invasion began 26 days ago.

Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, Director of the Russian National Centre for Defence Management, handed out the country's offer on Sunday, giving Ukraine until 5 a.m. on Monday to accept the terms, according to the BBC.

According to the proposal, Russian troops would have established safe exit routes from Mariupol at 10 a.m. (Moscow time), initially for Ukrainian military and "foreign mercenaries" to disarm and depart the city. Once the highways had been de-mined, Russian forces would have allowed humanitarian convoys carrying food, medicine, and other supplies to enter the city safely after around two hours.

However, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk rejected the idea, stating that her country would not quit defending the key port city, where 300,000 people are reported to be imprisoned and supplies are running low. "There can be no surrender, no laying down of arms," she was quoted as saying by Ukrainska Pravda on Sunday night. Since Russia's incursion began on February 24, the city has seen some of the most intense fighting in Ukraine.

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